The Malone Mysteries

 

 

Mixed Messages: A Malone Mystery (The Malone mystery series Book 1) 

by Patricia Gligor

A serial killer on the west side of Cincinnati is attacking women in their homes, terrifying the residents of the normally peaceful, family-oriented neighborhood where Ann Malone Kern and her family live. 

But Ann pushes those fears to the back of her mind as she struggles to deal with several personal issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her neighborhood, is in jeopardy. 

When a series of bizarre and frightening events take place and Ann receives both threatening notes and love poems, she feels like she's living in a world of mixed messages. 

On Halloween night, a man forces his way into her apartment. Will Ann be the Westwood Strangler's next victim?

Unfinished Business (The Malone mystery series Book 2) 

by Patricia Gligor

The Westwood Strangler is dead. Or so everyone believes.

Ann Malone Kern is busy preparing for her favorite holiday. She’s especially looking forward to her sister’s annual Christmas visit. But, several things threaten to ruin her festive mood.

The National Weather Service issues a severe winter storm warning for the Cincinnati area, predicting blizzard conditions, and Ann worries that her sister and her new boyfriend won’t be able to make the drive from South Carolina.

Then, a woman is found strangled in Ann’s neighborhood and everyone, including the police, assumes it’s the work of a copycat killer. However, when two more women are murdered in their homes, the police announce their conviction that the Westwood Strangler is responsible.

When Ann hears the news, the sense of safety and security she’s worked so hard to recapture since her attack on Halloween night, shatters. If the intruder who died in her apartment wasn’t the Westwood Strangler, who is?

 

Desperate Deeds (The Malone Mystery series Book 3) 

by Patricia Gligor

As Ann Malone Kern starts her new business as an interior decorator, the temperatures have risen, tulips and daffodils are in bloom and there’s a feeling of endless possibilities in the air. She has no idea that her world is about to be turned upside down.

The day before Easter, Ann wakes up to discover that her young son is gone. Frantic, she searches the house and the yard but there's no sign of Davey. Desperate, she and her husband, David, call the police but their ongoing search continues to turn up no leads. It appears the little boy has disappeared into thin air.

Another child, Kelly Kramer, has been missing since December. Where are the children? And what, if anything, can Ann do to get her son back?

 Mistaken Identity (The Malone Mystery series Book 4) 

by Patricia Gligor

Ann feels like she’s in Paradise as she digs her toes into the soft, white sand and gazes out at the ocean. She’s looked forward to this vacation in South Carolina for a long time and all she wants to do now is bask in the sun, resting and relaxing.

But Ann’s peaceful vacation is disrupted when she goes for a solitary walk on the beach and something shiny catches her eye. She’s horrified when she discovers the body of a young woman with a gold locket twisted around her neck. And, she knows who the locket belongs to.

Ann feels an obligation to discover the identity of the killer and to see them brought to justice but, in the process, she places her own life in jeopardy.  

Marnie Malone (The Malone Mystery series Book 5) 

Patricia Gligor

Someone is stalking Marnie.

As an attorney, Marnie Malone has made enemies through the years and she’s received her share of verbal threats. But no one has ever acted on them - until her last week at Cliburn & Reeves. However, in spite of the threatening phone calls, black rose on her desk and other ominous messages, Marnie refuses to be intimated.

But when it becomes apparent that the stalker knows where she lives, Marnie becomes nervous and apprehensive. Sam is out of town on business and she’s alone in the big, old farmhouse with strange noises in the attic, creaking floorboards and someone watching her from the woods.

As she tries to determine the identity of the stalker, the list of men who have grudges against her grows longer each day. Is the stalker someone from the past or one of the men on her list? And, how far will he go?

To read the reviews for the Malone mysteries and/or to order:   https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007VDDUPQ

 

A mother's worst nightmare

“In this third in her Malone mystery series, Gligor ramps up the suspense and offers a host of suspects to keep the reader flipping pages to see what will happen next.”

J.R. Lindermuth, author of the Sticks Hetrick mystery series

“The worst possible thing anyone could image, happened to Ann Kern, the protagonist in Desperate Deeds, the third in the Malone Mystery series. Her child went missing. Ms. Gligor kept me reading well into the night to find out what happened. Her character development is so true to life that I could feel everything Ann did as she searched for her son. The suspense kept me tense and guessing throughout the novel, until I finally let out a breath at the end.”

Evelyn Cullet, author of the Charlotte Ross mystery series

https://tinyurl.com/ydbvjzq5

As Ann Kern starts her new business as an interior decorator, the temperatures have risen, tulips and daffodils are in bloom and there’s a feeling of endless possibilities in the air. She has no idea that her world is about to be turned upside down.

When Janis Riley, a woman for whom money is no object, contacts Ann to redecorate her house, she is elated. But the initial visit with her first client leaves her with mixed emotions. Why did Janis react so strangely to seeing a photo of Davey, Ann’s six-year-old son?

 But Ann has bigger problems. Her husband, David, a recovering alcoholic, has lost both his mother and his job and Ann worries that he’ll start drinking again. To add to her concerns, their next-door-neighbor, Dorothy Baker, is severely depressed but Ann’s efforts to help her are rebuffed.

Ann is terrified when she wakes up the day before Easter to find Davey gone. Another child, Kelly Kramer, has been missing since December. Where are the children? And what, if anything, can Ann do to get her son back?

When Writers Can't Write

First of all, this post is not about writers' block.

Instead, I'm going to write about those times in all writers' lives when LIFE gets in the way of our writing. Raising small children, caring for an elderly parent and moving to a new home to name a few. The list goes on and on. Many times, we’re able to continue to write in spite of our circumstances. But, even if we can’t, we know that things will eventually turn around and we’ll get back to our writing.

But sometimes that's not what happens. Sometimes, our inability to write is permanent, which is what this post is really about. 

There’s no other way to say this so I’ll just say it. I have cancer and my oncologist told me in mid-January that my condition is terminal. There’s nothing else medical science can do for me. He gave me “months” to live. A hard pill to swallow.

 I had plotted my tenth book, the fifth in my Small Town mystery series, and written several chapters when I got the news. After the initial shock of my diagnosis settled down a bit, I made up my mind to make the most I could of each day I had left and to continue to write -  my way of taking a break from reality. But, after several tries, I realized that I had to accept the fact that it wasn't going to happen; I wasn't up to it physically or mentally. That, unless God granted me a miracle, The Legend would be the last book I would ever write. Another hard pill to swallow.

Because being a writer is who I am. I don't write for money or fame. I write because my books aren't just mysteries to me; they're family sagas with what I consider to be important messages. My goal has always been to entertain, educate and, hopefully, enlighten readers. Every author hopes that their books will live on long after they're gone and I'm no exception.

My fervent prayer is that God will grant me a miracle. But, even if He doesn't, I accept His Will. I have had a blessed life with family and friends who've always loved and supported me. I've traveled to every place I really wanted to go and, although my dream was to become the author of one mystery novel, I've published nine. I couldn't ask for more than that and I'm truly grateful. 

So, even though I'm not able to work on my book, I continue to take things one day at a time and to do my best to make each day the best day I can make it. Some days are easier than others. I ask that you please include me in your prayers.

 

St. Patrick's Day

     As far as I know, I don’t have a drop of Irish blood in my veins but Ann Malone Kern, the main character in my Malone mystery series, is of Irish descent as is her husband, David. Like me, the Kerns live in Cincinnati, a city where the Irish played an important role. Next to the Germans, they were the largest group of immigrants between 1840 and 1910. 

Cincinnati was a major destination for immigrants from Ireland who left their homeland because, due to the potato blight and resulting famine in their country, they couldn’t pay their mortgages and they were starving. Many were poor, spoke English with a brogue and were Roman Catholic with large families. Some came with nothing more than a few pieces of clothing.

The city offered many opportunities for work on the riverfront, digging for the Miami and Erie Canal and on railroad construction. Although most had hoped to become farmers, with no money and desperate to feed their families, when they arrived in the Queen City, many Irish took jobs that were dangerous and unskilled with low pay. 

Through the years, the Irish have contributed greatly to our city’s growth and culture. During the Civil War, the Irish formed several militia units, which became the core of the Ohio 10^th Regiment. Later, many became policemen and firemen, some were prosperous in industry and others were active in politics.

Today, we have The Irish Heritage Center of Greater Cincinnati. The IHC was founded to promote the Irish Culture through the study of customs, dance, education, film, genealogy, history, language, lectures, literature, music, mythology, poetry, social interaction, song, sport, theater and the visual arts.

 

                               “May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

                                        Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

My most memorable Valentine's Day

A Valentine's Day mystery

I originally posted this in February 2012. But, in honor of Valentine's Day, I'm reposting it. 

The other day, I overheard someone say, “I hate Valentine’s Day! It’s just another Hallmark holiday.” I hope that person reads this post because, well, no, it’s not!

There are many legends surrounding the origin of Valentine’s Day and the identity of St. Valentine, but the fact remains that valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages and written valentines began to appear after 1400. The oldest known valentine, still in existence today, is a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife, while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after his capture at the battle of Agincourt. I could be wrong but I don’t think Hallmark was in business back then!

I love Valentine’s Day! In fact, it's my favorite holiday. There’s something so special about it. You can almost feel the romance in the air whether you’re romantically involved on that day or not. I’ve had some wonderful, memorable Valentine’s Days. Through the years, there were candlelit dinners and gifts of candy, flowers and jewelry. But, as much as I enjoyed and appreciated those celebrations, they pale in comparison to the Valentine’s Day when I was six years old.

My first Valentine’s Day party! Our first grade classroom was decorated with hearts, which we’d cut out of red and pink construction paper and pasted on lacy, white backings. We ate pink and white frosted cupcakes and heart shaped cookies. Then, we passed out our Valentine’s Day cards with images of kittens, puppies and cupids. I can still remember how excited I was when I opened the cards, especially the one from Stevie Thompson. I had such a crush on him!

At the end of the day, as we walked down the front steps of our elementary school to head home, Stevie called out my name. I stopped and turned around. And then, he walked up to me, kissed me on the cheek and took off running down the steps. I think I floated all the way home. Happy Valentine’s Day, Stevie, wherever you are!

What was your most memorable Valentine’s Day?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Why I love being a writer

I've always loved to read and I've spent countless happy hours with my nose stuck in a book. I'd say "it doesn't get any better than that" but it does. Because creating a story and the characters who will live that story is the ultimate joy for me. I love being a writer! 

So, here it is early January in Cincinnati. Now, keep in mind that I am NOT a winter person. Looking out the window across from my desk as I type this, I see bare trees, gray skies and a dreary landscape. And, it's cold out there. But, like reading, writing offers me a way to escape. When I close the drapes and immerse myself in my current WIP (work in progress), Murder at the Mine, which will be the fifth novel in my Small Town mystery series, everything changes.

Suddenly, it's a hot and humid August day at a gem mine in North Carolina and all of my senses are evoked. I can feel the sun beating down on my head as I trudge up a hill, shovel and bucket in hand, along with my main character, Kate, and her fiancé, to dig for emeralds. Perspiration drips down my face and I swipe at it with the back of my hand. I’m no longer in Cincinnati; I've been transported to another place. 

But escape isn’t the only reason I love being a writer. God has given each of us a dream and I thank Him every day for making my dream come true. The art of creating gives me the opportunity to share bits and pieces of my life and experiences with my readers – without revealing what is based on fact and what is solely a product of my imagination.

Imagine this. Five writers sit at a table. I give each of them the same list of characters and the same plot and I ask them to write a story using that information. I'm sure you know what will happen. Each writer will write a totally different story in a totally different way. They'll each use their own imagination and their own voice to do that and the end result will be five stories that have little resemblance to each other.

Why? Because, like our fingerprints and our DNA, each of us is unique, one of a kind, and our writing styles will reflect that. Each writer pulls from his or her own experience and knowledge to create a story that no one else could possibly write. And, it isn't just about the experience and knowledge we each have. It's also about our individual perceptions of and reactions to those things, all of which makes the art of creating a beautiful and exciting adventure. 

The books we write are pieces of us. There's nothing more satisfying to me than creating a story (and the characters who will live it) that is unlike what anyone else on the planet has written or could write. I wish I could say that everyone who reads my books will love them but, of course, that's not true because our reading tastes differ too. Some people will enjoy and appreciate my books and others won't. But I write them in my own distinctive way, the only way I can.

I've heard that, when you find the thing you're most suited to do in life, you'll feel as if you've come home. When I write, I'm home.